Sunday Million: Bear4rms claws out a $204K win tonight

While some Team PokerStars pros like Daniel Negreanu are sweating some massive prop bets at the World Series of Poker, other of us are taking care of things online. Like the 7,309 players that showed up for tonight's $1.5 million guarantee Sunday Million. Even with the huge turnout PokerStars was filling the prize pool tonight for the 1,080 players that cashed including Team PokerStars Pro Online Steven "stevejpa" Paul who stepped away from the Amazon room to cash in 558th place ($450.00).

Bubble Trouble

First it looked like Illni213 would be the bubble boy after AceQuad made a big call on Illni213 three-bet all-in for most of AceQuad's stack. But AceQuad would ponder for a bit and made the right call with A♦T♦. The A♠2♠ for Illni213 was looking bad until a deuce hit the flop and held for the 12 million chip pot. Then Bear4rms was all-in with KTo vs. the KQs of axn87 and notched a ten on the river to stay alive. Illni213 would lose a 17.3 million chip pot to General Tso0 after the General turned up pocket aces to Illni213's pocket sixes. But, Illni213 would retain enough chips to call the button shove of vuppi three hands later. Holding 6♣A♣ Illni213 covered vuppi's bet and the 4♥3♥ held by the caught stealer. The flop rewarded Illni213 with an ace which held on the Q♠A♥T♦6♠J♠ board sending vuppi out in tenth place ($8,250.00).

Everyone would reconvene at Table 447 for the start of our final nine tonight. General Tso0 built some more chips from those timely aces and came in as tonight's chip leader with APowers1968 sitting on a 14.2 million chip stack and blinds at 125K/250K ante 25K.

File this under: "Decent Turn Card"

Three-way all-in, one player survives. Watch below:

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At stake was massive 23 million chip pot as General Tso0 led the betting with a raise to 555,575 then AceQuad shoved over the top for 3.3 million, and Illni213 went over that for 9.7 million. After a little Jeopardy! music General Tso0 would make the call covering both players.

AceQuad: J♣J♥Illni213: A♥K♦General Tso0: Q♠Q♦

On the flop A♠6♠6♣ Illni213 would match the ace to his big slick and take the lead for the huge pot. Luck be a lady on the turn as a queen hit Q♥ shutting out AceQuad. The 9♠ river did not give back-to-back two outers as Illni213 and AceQuad were eliminated on the same hand. With the lower starting stack AceQuad received ninth place ($11,625.00) notching another big final table to go with the SCOOP Event #9-Low final table earlier this month taking fourth for $5,746.60 (click here for the recap). Eighth place went to Illni213 who picked up $18,000.00 after that roller coaster hand and over nine hours of play.

Slick to the rescue

With the blinds moving up to 150K/300K ante 30K slamjakmyb would find a spot to open shove for 4.6 million chips holding the mighty pocket queens Q♥Q♣. Folded around to the big stack of APowers1968 in the small blind who would make the call with big slick K♥A♣. The mighty queens that General Tso0 held would not find a favorable turn card this time as an ace fell on the turn and king of the river 2♦T♦5♥A♦K♠ to slam the door on slamjakmyb's tournament in seventh place ($32,250.00).

General Tso0 is no chicken

The first players were gone in the same hand, this time they spread out the elimination to two hands. In the very next hand anx87 would open shove from the cutoff holding pocket tens T♦T♥ as it folded to General Tso0 who would make the call holding J♠K♠. The 8.6 million chip pot was up for grabs on the coin flip as General Tso0 would waste no time catching one of his overcards as a king hit the 3♥5♦K♣ flop. The rest of the 3♠7♥ board remained ten free and axn87 was lopped off in sixth place ($46,500.00).

A breather... for three hands

Still in the 150K/300K ante 30K blind level G8vMyLfeAway would try to give his chips away preflop by shoving for 2.8 million and got looked up by Bear4rms. Watch the hand play out below:

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Bear4rms was ahead holding A♦Q♦ compared to the J♠T♥ of G8vMyLfeAway. The ace would hit the flop as the rest of the A♠6♠7♣3♦8♠ board managed to miss both players and Bear4rms hauled in the six million chip pot senting G8vMyLfeAway to the poker tournament morgue in fifth place ($61,500.00).

Small Stack Big Gains

While the rest of the table seemed to bust out rather quickly, Michel1077 crept up the money ladder in the background with a micro stack. With blinds holding at 150K/300K ante 30K and Michel1077 holding just 733,297 chips and just 403,297 after paying the ante and big blind, Michel1077 would nearly be forced to call with any two cards after APowers1968 set him all-in from the small blind. Michel1077 would make the call holding two very live cards Q♥A♠ to APowers1968's 6♦T♣. All was well for Michel1077 to find a courtesy double-up until the river ten 8♥4♣8♦9♠T♥ gave Apower1968 the 1.5 million chip pot sending the short stack off in fourth place ($79,500.00).

ICM, Chip Chops, and Finally a Deal

After Michel1077 left the playing area our final three: Apowers1968, General Tso0, and Bear4rms, tried to work out several deals with APower1968 holding court as the chip leader. But, Apowers1968 wanted a little more than the other two were willing to give. Fast forward to Bear4rms doubling up and retaining the chip lead going into the 200K/400K ante 40K blind level and the threesome tried to hack out a deal again and were successful! The deal reflects $30,000.00 that was kept aside for tonight's champion.

APowers1968 had a chance to lock up nearly $180,000 but chose to play on and took a little less than that after a blind level of play in the three-way chop. Down to 7.1 million chips, APowers1968 would three-bet all-in over Bear4rms' raise. Bear4rms covered easily and made the call holding 8♠A♥. Kicker problems found APowers1968's 2♠A♠ well behind and unable to catch up on the spadeless 7♣6♥9♣8♦3♥ board. $147,109.44 isn't chump change and was deposited shortly after APowers1968 left the final table in third place.

PlatinumStar vs. GoldStar: who you got?

Which PokerStars VIP player would take home the extra $30,000.00 and the right to call themselves Sunday Million champion? Bear4rms (GoldStar) held the lead at the start of heads-up play with 46.8 million chips. General Tso0 (PlatinumStar) who's name is getting me hungry for some late night Chinese food held 26.2 million with blinds at 250K/500K ante 50K.

Too much to bear

Our final two would play well into the 300K/600K ante 60K blind level with Bear4rms retaining the lead throughout. Watch the last hand play out after both players catch top pair on the flop:

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Both players would hit an ace on the K♦6♠A♦ flop, General Tso0 holding 9♠A♣ and having kicker problems to Bear4rms' Q♠A♠. General Tso0 spiciness was unable to turn the tide on teh turn 2♠ and river K♥ as Bear4rms took down the pot and the extra $30,000 for winning this week's Sunday Million.

Be sure to check back later in the week at PokerStars.TV for the Sunday Million recap complete with commentary and hole cards shown.